Scopello Beach in Sicily, Italy

With a public beach and a nature reserve, Scopello may just be the best kept secret in all of Sicily. After you tour the town for its delicious dishes and popular monuments, retreat to Scopello in your Sicily car hire where you can enjoy a stunning landscape with few other tourists around.

Two medieval watch towers guard the nearby coast of this tiny feudal village between Castellamare del Golfo and San Vito Lo Capo. You won't find any large hotels or resorts here (yet), but if you would like to stay in the area there are some very nice villas for rent, or look for an agro tourism estate (farmhouse) in the area for a little more rustic accommodation.

The town of Scopello features what is known as a baglio, a courtyard that is several centuries old which houses a few restaurants and a café. When the sun on the beach gets a bit too hot the lovely restaurants in the baglio make the perfect retreat. The baglio represents the hamlet's recent agricultural past, in contrast with the coastal towers, which are remnants of the Saracen and Norman domination of Sicily.

If you happen to visit in the month of September you can catch the Couscous Festival in nearby San Vito. In the month of July see the Luglio Musicale Trapanese music festival in nearby Trapani. Make your way around to all the festivities with a rental car in Sicily for your next beach vacation to the quaint town of Scopello.